What A Little Wine Can Do
by Crowded Angels
Summary: [CWR]Christmas celebration's lead to something more for Catherine and Warrick...Simultaneous fic to 'What A Little Cocoa Can Do' [GSR
1. Memories

**Dscmr** - The only CSI things I own are books, DVDs a T-shirt and the concept of this fic :)

**Thanks to** - My muse Ste ;) Pink Delusions for all the help with the music :p and Cadaver1013 over at CSI-F :)

**Music used** is cute tune by Ronan Keating called _When You Say Nothing At All_. After much deliberation, I finally settled on this tune for a line in the chorus...can you tell which one?

Thanks to **everyone** who has reveiwed my past fics, hope this lives up to your expectations :)

* * *

Laughter erupted from the room once again. The five occupants were reminiscing on the past year over take-out Chinese. Catherine, Warrick, Grissom, Sara and Nick sat around the glass table in the break-room of the Las Vegas Criminalistics lab.

'...And what about your podiatry dexterity test that I walked in on you examining?' Catherine exclaimed to a bashful Grissom, while the other members of the team looked on in fits of giggles.

'I was curious to how well I could perform'

Eyebrows were raised to Grissom's statement. Noticing the looks, 'You guys need to clean your minds!'

X

Hours past with memories flowing as freely as the wine. They'd just clocked off shift and had decided to stay where they were to celebrate the Christmas holiday.

'It's been a good year...' Nick said, finding a comfortable spot in his chair.

'It sure has...and it's not even over yet' stated Catherine taking another sip of red wine.

'Well, I don't know about you lot, but I'm going home' Grissom said scooping up fallen rice off the table.

'Nah Griss! Stay man!' Warrick pleaded.

'If they expect me to work tomorrow, I'm better off going home while I can still walk and have a chance of bouncing back from sleep deprivation'

Sara stood up, 'Yeah, I think I'm gonna join you...' Four heads whipped around to look at Sara, who unsuccessfully tried to rectify her drunken statement, '...by going home...to _my_ home! Grissom's right, you _do _need to clean your minds!'

'Well I can drive you instead of you getting a taxi. I haven't drank that much'

'That'll be great, thanks Griss'

They said there goodbye's and walked out of the building together.

'Hey, do you think...?' Nick asked gesturing with a head nod to the leaving colleagues.

'We can hope!' Catherine said, a little loudly. 'I think I'm drunk' she whispered to a giggling Warrick and Nicky.

'I think I'd better get you home' Warrick told her.

'Nah, I wanna go dancing! I haven't been dancing in aaaggees!' Catherine slurred.

'I'm going to head home myself, are you gonna be ok?' Nick asked his friend.

'Yeah, I'll be fine. See you tomorrow'

Nick nodded, 'Night Cath'

'Night Nicky!!!' He couldn't help but giggle.

XXXX

'Where's Lindsey tonight?' Warrick asked when they were alone

'She's at my sisters...again! She spends more time with Nancy and Jeremy than she does with me! Her own mom!'

'But she loves you more'

'Yeah...she does doesn't she?' Catherine smiled.

'I think we'd better get you home'

'But I don't wanna go home, I wanna go dancing!' to show her enthusiasm, she started to sway her shoulders.

Laughing at the show, 'okay, how about we go to one club, but _then_ we're going home'

'O-kay!' she said, unfolding herself from her seat.


	2. GAC

Warrick pulled the car to a stop outside of the new Vegas club, the G.A.C bar. It had only been open a few weeks, but already it had been placed as the number one celeb spot in town. Queues were already the length of the sidewalk, but Warrick casually strode up the bouncer at the front, whispered something in his ear and walked straight into the club, Catherine in hand.

Inside, the walls where lined in the masterpieces of Giovanni Antonio Canaletti, an Italian artist and namesake of the club. The G.A.C bar was the fifth of the Art-inspired night-clubs that had popped up on the scene across America. Weirdly, they were doing really well.

'How did you do that?' Catherine shouted over the music

'What?!' Warrick shouted back, not hearing her question. Catherine repeated herself.

'Oh! I went to college with the bouncer!' Warrick replied, hoping he had answered right, seeing as he hadn't heard the whole question.

X

Warrick and Catherine manoeuvred themselves through the dancing crowd towards the bar.

'What you drinking?' he asked, doing a hand gesture in case she didn't hear him.

'JD and Coke please!'

He nodded and got himself a beer too.

'C'mon! We came here to dance not prop up the bar!' Catherine exclaimed, pulling Warrick into the mass.

Leaving there untouched drinks on an empty table, they found a spot and began to dance with the music. Moving into and away from each other, not leaving go of hands, and smiling and laughing all the time, they put on quite a show.

'Slowing it down guys' the DJ announced over the microphone. Although the song was slow one, he'd mixed it a bit, so it had a better beat.

_It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart_

_Without saying a word, you can light up the dark_

Warrick took Catherine's hand and pulled her into him. She giggled at the action and sank into his strong protective arms. Truth was, she was glad of the stability! She had sobered up a bit with the dancing, but still her knees weren't fully her own.

_Try as I may I can never explain,_

_What it feels when you don't say a thing_

Catherine clasped her hands behind his neck and rested her head on his broad shoulders. Their bodies entwined and moving as one.

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me_

_Theirs a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me_

Warrick's hands caressed the soft skin at the base of Catherine's back. She felt as her partners breathing sped up, his touches lighter on her skin, his presence enveloping her every sense.

_The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall_

She lifted her head and looked up to Warrick's beautiful brown eyes. So much longing, adoration and need portrayed in a single look, as their eyes silently conversed.

_You say it best, when you say nothing at all._

Their lips touched.

XX

The music surrounding the two sped up into an up-tempo beat, yet Warrick and Catherine stood deadly still, only their mouths in time with the tunes.


	3. Agony Uncle

The next day, Warrick entered the break-room to see Nicky pouring himself some coffee. He didn't know if he was happy or worried that he didn't see Catherine in the room, or in the lab for that matter. _Where is she?_ He wondered.

'Hey man' Nicky greeted him, while heading straight for the fresh pot.

'Hey'

'What happened last night?' Nick asked taking a sip and sitting down

'What do you mean?' snapping his head up to look at his friend

'I mean, did you manage to get Catherine home in one piece? She was pretty drunk'

'Oh...erm...' he lowered his head back to his task at hand of creaming his coffee

Nicky eyed him suspiciously, _did something happen?_ 'What?'

Warrick closed the glass door and sat next to his friend 'We ended up going to the G.A.C'

'Oh cool, what's it like in there? Always wanted to check it out...'

'Yeah it's really good.' He started. 'We kissed'

His eyes widened 'You and Catherine?!'

'Yeah... I don't know how it happened...'

'Is that all that happened?' Nick asked worried that the atmosphere in the office might have been altered for life

'Yeah! She crashed on my couch'

'Did you talk this morning?'

'No, she'd gone before I woke up' he answered, aimlessly stirring his drink

'Well...how'd you feel about it?'

'I-I don't know' he confessed

'Would you want it to happen again?'

A smile played across Warrick's lips, 'Yeah...yeah I think I would'

'Then you have to talk to her, man!' He was happy that Warrick finally had a woman in his life, one that he could truly care for. For as long as Nick could remember, he'd always sensed something extra in Warrick's relationship with Catherine and Lindsey.

'But-' Warrick was cut off by Grissom and Sara entering the room together.

'Hey guys' Sara said brightly, grabbing some coffee. Warrick didn't want the whole lab knowing about the kiss before he knew what to think himself. He played along with Nick's conversation as if no life-altering experience had happened the night before.

'Hey. So, er, what happened?' Nicky asked, smiling

'What do you mean?' Sara asked, puzzled by his question. _He's got that look in his eye...does he know something?_

'Oh c'mon, you left together, he drove you home...kiss on the doorstep?' He asked with a smirk

The smile was returned, 'You'll never know'. She said mixing sugar into her drink and walking back over to Grissom.

X

Grissom fanned out his sheets on the glass table. 'Okay, assignments: Warrick, Sara you're with me, we got a DB at a wedding reception. Nicky, Cath-'

'Sorry I'm late!' Catherine added turning the corner into the room 'Er...car wouldn't start'

'No problem, you're with Nicky at a smash and grab at a jewellery store up on Grange' Grissom finished

Catherine nodded, taking the flyer from Grissom while putting her bag on the chair 'Okay'

'Okay, lets go!' Grissom said, gesturing for Sara and Warrick as he left the room. Sara followed in step.

'Hey Cath' Warrick turned to her 'Can we er...talk...later?'

She nodded, looking into his eyes _what's he thinking? _She wondered. 'Sure'

'Kay, cool, I got to go.' He gestured to the distant image of Grissom and Sara down the hallway. 'See you Nick'

'Bye man'

X

Once Warrick left the room, Catherine braced herself on the table.

'You alright Cath?' he asked placing a steaming cup of coffee in front of her

'Hmm?' she said looking up Nicky 'Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks' Taking a seat.

'Wanna talk?'

Catherine studied his face 'You know, don't you?'

He nodded

'What did he say?'

'That you went to G.A.C and started making out...' he said sitting across from her.

'Does any one else know?' _I mean, does Greg know really...if **he** does, then everybody does_

'No, just me. So...what you gonna do?' he didn't want to see either friend get hurt.

'That depends on him'

'Does it?'

'Well yeah...'

'And if he said he wanted to see you again?'

'Did he say that?' her heart jumped a little

'Hypothetically'

'If Warrick said he did...' she thought 'then, yeah. I think I would. But you cant tell him that, promise me'

'Promise'

XX

The night had passed and the morning light had just broke. Nicky and Catherine were walking through the corridors heading for the locker room when Warrick rounded the corner to join them.

'So how'd your case go?' Nick asked

'You know how the best man is supposed to hook up with a bridesmaid? Check with her husband first...'

Nick nodded, as if to say 'not to self'.

An uncertain atmosphere settled in the group. _Perfect chance for them to talk _Nicky realised and excused himself, not before gesturing with his eyes to Warrick, and nodding ever-so slightly.

He took a deep breath 'Cath, about last night'

'Yeah?' _Here goes_

'How do you feel about, maybe, going to dinner with me?' He waited for an answer with baited breath

'I'd like that' She tried to condense a large grin into a smile, unsuccessfully.

'Cool, pick you up around 7?'

'I'll be waiting'


	4. Lyndsey

**Sorry** about the wait guys! But here ya go :) Gotta thank my mom for this chapter tho, I got the idea for it while I was waiting her to pick me up when she was late :) lol Thank God for traffic! :p

Thanks to **everyone** who has reviewed, it makes it all worth while and makes my day :)  And please keep doing so :) Hope it lives up to your expectations!

**Btw - **I realise Lyndsey is, like, 12 now, so I think I might have written her younger...it depends on which 12 yr old you're looking at though :p

* * *

Warrick took a deep breath and knocked on Catherine's door.

Almost immediately, the beautiful redhead stood before him, dressed in a beaded black halter-top and jeans, with high heels in an attempt for added height. 'Hey you' she said, holding the red door open with one hand, the other on her hip.

'Hey. You look...great' _she looks amazing actually_ he corrected himself.

Even the simplest of ensembles could be pulled off as amazing when you had the figure and the confidence that Catherine held.

'Thanks' she replied, smiling and relishing in the always-appreciated attention.

'You ready to go?'

'Yes...and no. We may have a problem...' Lyndsey chose that moment to step around the corner and stand in front of her mom. 'The babysitter cancelled, and I can't find a replacement...I'll understand if you want to cancel too'

Warrick looked at the sight in front of him. The woman he'd loved for as long as he could remember, and her beautiful daughter. Lyndsey was amazing. Just as smart, just as feisty and just as beautiful as her mom 'Why would I want to do that?'

'You mean...you still want to go? With us?' Catherine asked, placing her hands on Lyndsey's shoulders, making sure he understood the new arrangements.

'Definitely'

Lyndsey's eyes sparked with excitement as she turned around to face her mom 'So can I go, mom?!'

Cath looked down and saw the look in her young daughters blue eyes. When such a situation had arisen in the past, the only date that usually ensued was between Cath, Lyndsey and Nick at Night. This was a first...although, deep down, she had figured that Warrick would be all right with the arrangements, he'd always gotten on so great with Lynds. 'Er...yeah, I guess you can. Go grab your shoes' she told her.

Lyndsey didn't waste a second in running off in hunt of her shoes.

'You don't have to do this, you know?'

'Cath, this is fine. Great even. I promise.' He reassured. 'Listen, you get your stuff together, and while I just make a quick call' he said, grabbing his cell phone from his pocket and taking a step away from the doorway.

X

Flipping open the lid, Warrick took out the business card he'd tucked inside of it, and dialled the number emblazoned upon it.

'_Bonjour, D'Amore' _A voice answered, heavily accented.

'Hi, I have a reservation for 7.30, table for two?'

'_Let me see...ah yes, Mizterre Brown?'_

'Yeah, that's the one. I'd like to cancel it'

'_Cancelle? I trust everything iz alright Monsieur' _The voice enquired.

_That accent can't be real! _Warrick thought whilst answering: 'It couldn't be better' and it couldn't.

X

Warrick, Catherine and Lyndsey piled out of the Tahoe and made their ways across the parking lot. Lyndsey ran ahead and waited for the slowcoaches to catch up at the front doors.

'I have to tell you the truth...' Warrick started, leaving Catherine a little unsure about the coming confession '... I think I prefer this restaurant to the other'

Catherine giggled, 'I think I might have been underdressed for D'Amore, but I think I'm just fine for The Hut'

'You would have been perfect for the other restaurant too, you look beautiful' Saying 'beautiful' always made him feel a bit stupid, but not when it was directed at Cath.

She smiled at the compliment and entwined her fingers with Warrick's.

'C'mon!' Lyndsey called out

'We're coming! We're coming!' Warrick called back playfully.

X

After sharing a large pizza, Catherine suggested Lyndsey go get an ice cream from the Factory. A long line of kids was already queued up by the machine, which meant Warrick and herself could have the needed chat away from Lyndsey's young ears.

'You want anything special?' Lyndsey asked the table

'I want it all' Warrick replied

'My kind of ice-cream' Lyndsey quipped, giggling. She grabbed her bowl and spoon and headed off.

'I'm having fun tonight. Thank you for bringing us' Catherine said, taking another sip of her beer.

'Not a problem'

She leaned forward, 'Maybe we could do this again, when I find a reliable babysitter...?'. As much as she loved Lyndsey with all her heart, it was a little weird to be bringing her on dates.

Warrick smiled and leaned forward also 'Definitely. And theirs no rush to find a babysitter, Lyndsey's a great kid'

Catherine gushed, _He's gorgeous; we have tonnes in common AND he loves Lynds? Be still my heart. _'There is _one_ thing we have to talk about though...work'

'What they don't know can't hurt them'

'Warrick, we work with people who are trained to see the signs, I think they're gonna realise'

'Well, it's not like anything is gonna happen at work-'

'Speak for yourself' Catherine added, with a flirtatious smile that knocked Warrick for six.

With a large smile and a clear of his throat, he carried on 'so the way I see it, they would only see us _outside _of hours, when we're free to do what we want'

'So we're gonna do it?' Catherine asked for confirmation. Guys had hurt her too many times before; she wanted to make sure they were both on the same page.

Warrick clasped his hands over his dates. Wordlessly, he confirmed.

Lyndsey appeared back at the table with a large, practically overflowing bowl of ice cream piled high with all of the available sweets.

'Ooo! Now that's what I call an ice cream! Where's my spoon?' Warrick asked as she placed it on the table.

Lyndsey moved her hand behind her back with a cheeky smile 'I didn't get you one' she replied playfully

Warrick played along, 'Well, if you didn't get me one, then what's that behind your back?!' he grabbed Lyndsey and pulled her onto the empty seat next to him and started tickling her mercilessly, until her stomach ached from the uncontrollable laughter and she gave up the spoon.

Warrick's playfully evil laugh and the sight of her daughter trying in vain to wriggle out of his tickles were a pleasure to Catherine's senses and brought a huge grin to her lips. _Something good might finally be happening again._


End file.
